Questor Insurance News

Brits neglect tech security while abroad

Neglectful Brits don’t seem to care about the network security of their digital data while they’re abroad and roaming.

A recent study by IntelSecurity has found that British holidaymakers aren’t as security savvy as they think, with the results showing quite a devastating state of affairs.

Forgetting security measures

A staggering 89% of holidaymakers said they don’t have any security solution in place for when they’re connecting to Wi-Fi abroad.

Meanwhile, only 6% of the younger holidaymakers – 18-24 year olds – said they did have a security solution in place while abroad compared to 15% of 45-54 year olds.

The report also looked at what holidaymakers use their smartphones for while away – 60% will use it for updating their Facebook wall with posts and selfies, while also using Instagram to share at least two images during a week-long holiday.

Some 38% of respondents have no problem connecting to an open Wi-Fi connection, while 13% said they would choose to do everything at home – including photo sharing and logging onto their bank – instead of connecting while abroad.

Meanwhile, 18-24 year olds also revealed that they were the age group most likely to use their internet at home rather than open Wi-Fi connections, with 22% admitting this, while only 5% of the over 55s agreed.

Learning security precautions

However, what was perhaps the most alarming was that 15% of respondents said they do not have security precautions in place, because they don’t think they have anything to worry about when connecting abroad.

Worryingly, 47% of British holidaymakers admit they don’t know how to protect their smartphones when connecting to an open Wi-Fi network, while 34% said they think they know how but aren’t sure.

Interestingly, male respondents proved to be a little more security savvy, with 27% of men saying they know how to protect their smartphones, while only 13% of women said the same.